Over Tumbled Graves

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding debut novel!
Review: "Over Tumbled Graves" by Jess Walter is an exquisite, thought-provoking first novel.

It is a story of conflict, contrast and choice set amidst a serial killer investigation in Spokane.

A drug bust gone awry leads to the discovery of a string of hooker killings, all with an identical signature.

Spokane's Major Crime Unit's initial suspect is linked to two brutal non-serial murders as well. The more they learn about him, the more intangible he becomes.

The characters are complicated, believable, motivated---their internal dialogue and tensions fueling the plot. Alan Dupree's cynical, sarcastic, acidic wit is a highlight.

Competing "celebrity" profilers, the attendant media circus, condescending FBI "assistance" and a mid-investigation change of lead detectives distract and surround the investigation.

In the end, it is the Spokane MCU's detailed, tedious, credible investigative work ethic that corners the perp. That final answer is unexpected and complex.

A lack of cardboard stereotypes, superb misdirection and smoothly flowing action earn "Over Tumbled Graves" highly recommended status.

Rating:
Summary: A great character-driven story
Review: Jess Walter understands something that escapes many thriller writers: Character comes first. This first novel has a gritty and credible plot about a series of murders in Spokane, Wash., but Walter goes beyond the usual cliches of the genre by building his characters carefully and believably. Det. Caroline Mabry is an intriguing, complicated and wholly sympathetic escort into the world that Walters evokes, a dangerous world of prostitutes, johns and seedy bars. Because we care about her, and about her sometimes partner Alan Dupree, we care even more deeply about the case that consumes her. Walter also does an exceptional job of capturing the flavor of Spokane, a mid-sized Northwest city with a super-sized inferiority complex. The plot may invite comparisons to Spokane's real-life serial killer story, but Walter's story veers off in unexpected ways. An assured first effort by a fine writer.

Rating:
Summary: Strong writing
Review: While it has been mentioned in other reviews that the plot of this story is somewhat derivative, I would say that all stories work or don't work due to how the story is told. There are only 12 known plots anyway, right?

In this story the female heroine, Caroline Mabry, is dealing both with a serial killer that seems to have made a connection to her, personally, and with her unresolved feelings for her ex-partner. As the body count increases and the police attempts to solve the crime continue to fail, her emotions become more and more frazzled, leading her back to her former partner and mentor.

What I think is most important here is that Jess Walter can write: he develops believable characters, his language is years ahead of most mystery writers and he tackles themes of interest and meaning.

What's more, he does not shy away from the graphic. There's plenty of sex, drugs and violence in this novel, all describe vividly and without cliche. He knows when to describe a scene in detail and when it's more horrific to just describe the characters reaction to it.